12.12.2012

I was joking with a friend the other day that every time I do a project it turns into a project.A doosy. A handful of complications and sleepless nights. And my goal with making a 2013 calendar was to avoid that. To avoid it turning into a typical "Hailey project." But of course what happened was all of the above and none of the latter.

I've spent the last several weeks toiling away like an elf in Santa's workshop to create a product I was happy with. I couldn't find the displays I wanted so of course I made my own. I didn't think sanding the wood was enough, so I put on cheesy Christmas movies and smoothed out every edge with natural beeswax. And even though last year's calendars were beautiful, I wanted this year's to be even better, so I researched eco friendly printing and a thicker, higher quality paper. The moral of this story is that sometimes it's exhausting to be a perfectionist, and sometimes it can be one of my greatest qualities. It is, after all, whatdrove me to create these:

This year's calendar is sold with a handmade birch wood "clipboard" and twelve individual pages for a year's worth of imagery by yours truly. When the month is over, clip the dates away and your left with a mini print. Shipping is included and can be shipped anywhere in the United States. Please place orders before December 18th to ensure arrival by Christmas Day. Orders made in Durango can be taken by phone, email, website, or Facebook. All other orders can be made

12.02.2012

A year ago this month my dog, Daphnie, went through surgery to remove a few cancerous growths on her skin. We were in Florida preparing to get on the road to have Christmas in Georgia, New Years in Oklahoma, and a fresh start at living again in Colorado. Because the friends we had been house sitting for had returned home, we needed a place to stay while she recovered so that the stitches could be removed prior to getting on the open road and driving across the country. Luckily, a friend of a friend of a friend knew a sweet old woman who loved dogs and had an empty beach house apartment for rent. For a small penny Daphnie and I spent that week healing wounds, taking morning and evening walks on the beach, scouring the internet for jobs and places to live in Colorado, shipping and selling calendars, finishing up photo work, packing my tiny car, and mentally preparing for the weeks and months ahead. But this blog post isn't really about that stressful week and the nostalgia I've had lately for how well I handled it. It's about Daphnie, and how one year later she amazes and inspires me to keep pushing.

One of my best friends recently took care of her while I was on the east coast shooting a wedding. On my first day gone I called to check in and what I heard on the other end of the line took me by surprise, "Yeah, Daphnie's great! I took her on a run today with my dog. She loved it." Being the mom that I am, I was at first concerned. After all she is technically 91 years old now with a bad back and skin cancer. I have never gone on a run with my dog. I've chased her on trails and at the dog park, but never a strap-on-your-running-shoes-and-excersize type of run. So this week we decided to try something new. Since my Achilles tendon has finally healed from a three month long injury I'd been anxious to start running again. Knowing that I'd be starting small, I assumed she could handle it. We've gone three times this week and much to my surprise she outruns me every time. When I can tell she's tired and I stop she's the one who keeps pulling, pushing me to keep going. When we're running and her ears and tongue flap goofy-like in the wind I can see the life in her step, the smile in her eyes, and I get flash backs of her one year ago moping around in her E-Collar on the deck of a beach house in Florida. It's at these moments that I hope at 91, I am as full of life as Daphnie.

11.21.2012

I wasn't planning on writing a blog tonight, but while researching a photo project, my computer screen landed on a page where instantly all of my 1000+ instagram photos were in front of my eyes. These are iphone pictures of my daily life from the last 18 months; pictures that are intimate, bring back precise memories of moments, good and bad, and small stills that have captured my life much like a diary. I was struck by these photos, and I needed to tell you about it. I needed to tell you how thankful I am that I am alive and healthy and happy. I needed to tell you that my bank account doesn't have enough money in it, and that my house is way too small. I wanted to tell you that I've been feeling guilty about not running or doing yoga, and that my jeans from last winter are tight. I wanted to tell you how I've been feeling - like nothing I do is ever enough. Not creative enough. Not hard enough. Not big enough. Not good enough. I wanted to tell you that despite all of this, I looked at 1000 pictures tonight that made me realize I am amazing. My friends are amazing. The experiences I've had over the last year and a half have been incredible and I am a better person for all of it, even if I'm not where I want to be. And if nothing else, instagram has at least reminded me that yes, my dog IS adorable, the food I eat is epic, and the people I know can't be traded in for anything.

So (raise your glass) here's to Thanksgiving and being immensely thankful for this life. Here's to you and to me, and all of the moments in between that make us feel alive. For this, I am thankful.

11.01.2012

Through all of the months of planning this wedding, not once did I consider ever getting a costume. At least not until I was on the phone hashing out some last minute details with the bride a few weeks before the wedding. Right before hanging up the phone she said, "Oh, and you're going to wear a costume right??...because if you don't...you'll stick out like a sore thumb." Immediately I thought, "Shit. One more thing to add to my jam-packed pre-wedding to-do list." That thought was instantly followed by, "Sweet. I get to dress up like a fool while getting paid." Once again, I love my job.

If there's one reason, and one reason alone, why Lauren and Joey's wedding is my favorite I'd tell you about the junkyard Halloween party. I'm convinced now that everyone should have a costume reception at their wedding, regardless of the time of year. Even if it's just masks, or wigs, or funny glasses. People let loose when you give them alcohol but they really get out of their skin when they're in disguise. And at this wedding, no one dressed to disappoint. Even Lauren's grandma won "scariest costume."